Who You Gonna Call?
by Darth Meanie
Summary: When there's something strange / In the neighborhood / Who you gonna call? Blake Cain is a Pokemon Hunter, specializing in taking down Ghost-type Pokemon that threaten to destroy the peace of the world. His partner is a narcissistic, money-obsessed egomaniac, and his latest Pokemon is... difficult, to say the least. Join him on his adventures.
1. Chapter 1

It was late in the evening, and the sun was already setting on Lavender Town. The sleepy hamlet was particularly quiet tonight though, as it had been for the last few nights. For after dark, the spirits of departed Pokemon were haunting the town, giving the residents no restful slumber, afflicting them with nightmares. Those who stayed outside of their homes after dark would be terrorized by the ghosts. And lately, even children safe in their beds were being haunted by these malevolent spirits.

The reason why was obvious of course, to the superstitious folk of the town. The renovation of Pokemon Tower from a final resting place for Pokemon into a radio station had to be the source of their woes. Their beloved departed Pokemon were being dishonored, moved and shoved into mass graves south of town, where the Ghost-type Pokemon had been coming from. A few more nights of this catastrophe, and the radio station would be facing an angry mob on their hands, demanding they be shut down.

It was perfect timing, however, for the raven-haired youth on the outskirts of town to visit. A thin young man dressed in a black jacket with a Murkrow perched on his shoulder, he adjusted a headset he was wearing and activated the talk function.

"Melissa, I've made it to the town." The young man said with a crisp voice. "Where's my contact?" He asked.

Thousands of miles away, and very early in the morning, a young woman looked over her briefing for the mission. It was 5:13 AM Kalos time, and she stifled a yawn into her microphone before responding. "I've already negotiated terms and payment with the officials at Pokemon Tower." She said. "So no need to head there." She explained. "You might want to stop by the Pokemon House though on the south end of town." She added, scrolling through a dossier on her laptop. "There's a Mr. Fuji there who can give you more information on the situation. Apparently his Pokemon orphanage has been the only place untouched by the hauntings."

"Good to know," The young man responded professionally. "I'll see what he has to say, but if my suspicions are correct I think I know what's going on here anyways."

"That there's a powerful Ghost-type Pokemon in the graveyard leading the others to haunt the town?" She asked, having heard it from him before. "It's a great story by the way. I was able to milk another 25,000 out of the Pokemon Tower once they had the mental image of a vengeful Gengar attacking them from beyond the grave."

The boy sighed into his headset. "I wish you hadn't said that," he complained. "This has nothing to do with vengeful spirits." He claimed scientifically. "That's nothing but superstition."

"I don't care what it is." Melissa countered. "Clients pay more when they're scared or desperate, and right now the management at Pokemon Tower is both." She said coldly. "Get briefed by Mr. Fuji, then take care of the town's ghost problem. You pull this job off, and there'll be more work for you." She added sweetly.

"Great." The boy said sarcastically. "I get to bust my hump clearing out ghosts while you sit back in Lumiose cafes sipping lattes and getting paid."

Melissa looked at her complimentary instant coffee the Pokemon Center gave her. Well, Blake didn't have to know about her current fiscal situation, did he?

"Please." She responded. "My services are highly valued. You won't get a fifth of the work on your own you'll get with me," she told him. "Now stop complaining and get to work," she told him.

Melissa looked over her file on Blake. Blake Cain was his name. A year younger than her, at fourteen years old, and brand new to this line of work. Born in Goldenrod General Hospital, raised in Ecruteak City. He got his trainer's license at age eleven, and his first and only gym badge from the Ecruteak City Gym about two weeks prior. He had only four registered Pokemon, and three were unevolved.

Melissa sighed. She was working with a total novice right now, something she never would have imagined doing a year ago. But that was the price she paid for going freelance. She had found him online a week ago, freshly registered as a Pokemon Hunter, selling himself as a Ghost-type specialist. Whether he actually knew what he was talking about or he was just a kid with an overinflated ego after earning a single gym badge, she didn't know yet. She hoped it was the former though. This was the first job that made it this far in a while, it'd be a shame if he couldn't finish what he started.

Her workspace took up an entire table in the lobby of the Pokemon Center, with her laptop, various papers and files strewn about, and other devices all connected together. Her Pokegear was linked in to her laptop, giving her a mobile connection to Blake, while her Pokedex was connected wirelessly. Last but not least was her Porygon2, sitting on the table next to her, obediently analyzing data and boosting processing power all at once. It was a set-up most Pokemon Hunters would kill to have as support. And she had set this all up ad hoc.

_"If this mission falls through," _she thought to herself. _"I'll fly to Kanto and wring his neck myself."_

Blake for his part had just made it to the Pokemon House. The door was unlocked, which surprised him slightly as he walked into the building. An elderly man heard his footsteps and greeted him.

"You're a young fool to be out here this late," he said berating him kindly. "Or you must be new to town. No one goes out at night anymore since the ghosts of Pokemon Tower have haunted the town."

"I don't buy that story." Blake responded to him somewhat curtly. "Sorry, let me introduce myself. The name is Blake Cain. I'm here to solve your ghost problem." He said.

"A Pokemon Hunter, are you?" He asked. "I'm afraid this problem can't be solved so simply as a wild Pokemon on the loose." Mr. Fuji explained. "The only way to calm these angry spirits is to return the remains of our lost Pokemon to Pokemon Tower."

"Thaf might be the case if Ghost-type Pokemon were the spirits of deceased Pokemon. But if that were the case, you would have been dealing with these hauntings years ago." Blake countered. "When the renovations for Pokemon Tower first began. The question then isn't why, but why now?" He said.

"My theory," he continued. "Is that something has changed in the ecosystem of the graveyard to drive the ghosts out at night. Specifically, I suspect a powerful Ghost-type is responsible."

Mr. Fuji was dismayed by his callous dismissal of the dead at first, but the scientist within him agreed with his conclusion, even if he didn't agree with all the evidence. "You may be right." He said. "Testimony from the victims confirms that while multiple ghosts were involved in each attack, that a dark, shadowy figure was present at each incident." He said. "My suspicion has been that this shadowy figure is a Gengar. But it makes sense that there might be just one of them, they're rare in the wild." He added.

That matched Blake's expectations perfectly. The Shadow Pokemon would be a natural leader for the Gastly and Haunter that naturally spawned in Lavender Town and would likely make them aggressive enough to go after the townsfolk. The only thing he couldn't explain yet was where this Gengar came from. Their unusual evolution requirements made them a rarity in the wild, but not unheard of. Blake had a theory working in his head about that too.

"Thanks for the advice, sir." He said, stepping towards the door.

"Its after dark," Mr Fuji warned him. "You'll be attacked for sure if you go out!" He said.

"I'm not worried," Blake said, reaching into his pack and retrieving an odd pair of binoculars. He attached it to his face and adjusted the scope, then threw down a Poke Ball, releasing a dark blue Pokemon with red plumage. "I am, after all, a specialist," he said.

Melissa had been listening in the conversation boredly the whole time, and was eager to have the opportunity to discuss things with her partner again. "So, you confirmed your theory then?" She asked him. "What's your plan now?"

Blake looked around through the Silph Scope, frowning. "I'm using my Silph Scope to track spectral activity here…" he started. "But this place is a hotbed for ghost activity. I can't tell anything."

Melissa thought to herself for a moment. "Can you connect your Silph Scope to your Pokegear?" She asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Blake responded. "I suppose, they have the same universal connector, but it's not like you can do anything from your end, can you?"

"Watch and learn," Melissa said proudly. She started entering in a backdoor through the security system on the Pokegear. "Just let me jailbreak your Pokegear…" She said. "And… there." She said. She was using the Pokegear's radio function to stream data from his Silph Scope over the phone line to her. A brilliant, simple solution. Her laptop displayed the same readout Blake was getting: a thick purple haze.

"Now then," She said, shutting off her speaker on her headset. "Porygon2," She said. "Can you filter out all spectral signatures over two weeks old? Before the haunting events started." She clarified. The Pokemon obliged, and the screen cleared up significantly.

"Blake, can you turn around slowly, take a full view of the area?" Blake grunted affirmatively and began to look around. Melissa pulled up a map of Lavender Town and mapped the spectral activity to the map. Soon she had a spectrograph of the entire town. She noticed several hotspots of ghost activity in the town.

"Porygon2," She commanded. "Cross-reference the locations of known haunting events on the map." The screen flashed, and several points of interest appeared on the screen, all overlapping with hot spots of ghost activity. She wasn't done yet though. "Check these signatures against the spectorgrams in my Pokedex. Analyze for Pokemon species."

Three Pokemon signatures showed up. Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar. Melissa smiled.

"You were right, Blake," She said, impressed by his knowledge of ghost activity. He may not have been the amateur he seemed. "It is a Gengar."

"Great," Blake said. "Can you tell me where it is?"

"I'll do you one better," Melissa responded with a smile. "I'll show you." She sent the data back downstream. Blake's Silph Scope flashed, then displayed only the Gengar's spectral signature. And with it, his trail.

"Neat." Blake said.

"Neat?" Melissa responded, infuriated. "Neat!? There are research teams at Silph that couldn't do half the things I just did with a month of time on the problem!" She exclaimed. "I just bridged two devices never meant to be connected, sent data across a mobile line thousands of miles away, performed analysis most research universities couldn't pull off, and sent it back downstream in a matter of ten minutes! Do you have any idea…"

"Yeah, I get it," Blake said dismissively, making a mental note not to wound her ego. It was a nice trick, but he had a job to do now. He started following the trail.

Melissa stewed in her chair in the Pokemon Center. Her talents were being wasted on this kid. She was an expert in operations like these, and he was a novice. For all he knew, this was par for the course for most mission operators. It was the price she paid though.

Blake for his part was pursuing the trail of the Gengar, when he started to notice Ghost-type Pokemon approaching him through the Silph Scope. Certainly, they saw him as nothing but a lost traveller to assault. He smiled though, beckoning them to come. A lone Haunter strayed too close to him, and suddenly flinched, as if injured, and floated back away. Blake's smile grew into a smirk.

His Sneasel by his side mewled in laughter at the ghost's inability to approach him, and held up a slip of paper in her hand. A gift from Morty after defeating him in a gym battle. A Cleanse Tag, a charm that would drive off any weaker ghosts.

Slowly, more ghosts began to arrive, forming a ten-meter circle around Blake and his Pokemon. The trail grew stronger as Blake approached the area around Pokemon Tower. He suddenly heard a shriek pierce through the silent night. His eyes widened, and he picked up the pace.

"Someone's in trouble," he told Melissa. "I've got to hurry!"

Fortunately, he only had to turn the corner to find the Pokemon responsible. Hunched over a body on the ground was a thick, shadowy creature, whose face bore a wide grin: the Gengar responsible for these attacks. It looked up at Blake, surprised to see a human actually approach him.

Blake stepped forward slowly, putting it within the ten-meter range of the Cleanse Tag. Its companions, a few Gastly and Haunter, shuddered and left, but it showed no reaction. "I've found it." Blake told Melissa, streaming what he saw to her.

Melissa immediately got to work analyzing the Pokemon's spectrogram with her Pokedex. Its spectral signature was intense, as if it was exuding pure power. Her Porygon2 glowed slightly, analyzing the data in parallel. After a few moments, it displayed a readout of the Pokemon's estimated stats and level.

Melissa did a double-take. "Porygon2. Are you sure that's not an error?" She asked.

A message appeared on her screen. "Porygon do not make errors." It read.

Melissa thought through the possibilities. Either the data was corrupted, the Silph Scope was malfunctioning, or the Pokemon really was that strong.

"Blake, look out," She warned him. "That Pokemon is incredibly strong."

She heard nothing but static on the other end. "Blake? Blake?" she asked.

A dark cloud covered the alleyway where Blake and the Gengar were at a standoff. Blake heard the connection he had to Melissa cut out. Something was blocking the signal. His Silph Scope still worked though, and he could see the Gengar clear as day through the fog. He smirked, and made the first move, twitching his hand. The Gengar rushed towards him, smirking sinisterly himself.

"Beat up!" Blake commanded his Sneasel, opening his jacket and releasing his other three Pokemon. A Murkrow, Umbreon, and Scyther all rushed out of their Poke Balls, all four of them charging in against the Gengar: a super effective surprise attack that would surely send the ghost reeling.

Or so Blake expected. The Shadow Pokemon was knocked back by the surprise attack, certainly, but it immediately regained its stance, its smile growing only broader. It vanished deeper into the cloud. Blake could see it moving with his Silph Scope though, and ordered his Pokemon to continue their assault. "Pursuit!" he commanded, and his Sneasel, Murkrow and Scyther rushed into the fog to nail the retreating Pokemon.

The Gengar expected that though. It laid in wait with a Sucker Punch, socking Blake's Scyther underneath the jaw, sending the Pokemon flying back unconscious. The Murkrow and Sneasel nailed their dual attack together, but the Gengar spun and tossed them back, knocking them away. Blake could see the Gengar perfectly, but his Pokemon couldn't, giving it an unparalleled advantage in this fight. He'd have to take away the terrain advantage from the Gengar.

"Murkrow, Whirlwind," he ordered. The Pokemon flapped its wings, and a galeforce wind blew the cloud back. And that was when everything fell apart. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

First was the voice that suddenly blasted into his ear. "Blake!" Melissa shouted, the connection reestablished. "Get out of there! That Pokemon's a match even for Champions!"

Then he saw the Gengar point at his Murkrow, black lightning streaming off of his fingertip. A wicked, bluish-black Thunderbolt, with power that pulsed through the atmosphere. It arced to Murkrow, striking the bird Pokemon and consuming it in lightning, knocking it out instantly.

Finally, he felt his heart suddenly skip a beat. "_No, not now," _Blake thought, clutching his chest as his legs shook. This defied all his models. Gengar couldn't learn Thunderbolt; not in the wild at least. But the Gengar continued its assault that defied logic, generating a orange-blue sphere in its arms, throwing its Focus Blast at the Umbreon for a second instant knock-out, ignoring Umbreon's impressive defenses. As if that wasn't enough, it split into multiple shadowy copies, performing a Double Team, each generating a Shadow Ball to fire at the last remaining Pokemon.

The dark cloud consumed the battlefield again, and Blake suddenly felt an inkling of fear. This wasn't like battling ghosts before in the wild. It wasn't even like Morty's Gengar. This was a whole different level of power. More than that, it was ignoring the rules of Pokemon. It had used five different moves already in this battle, when no Pokemon could learn more than four. It was using moves it had no way of knowing. And it could not seem to be stopped even by super effective attacks.

His Sneasel managed to dodge the barrage of Shadow Balls with careful maneuvering, managing to hold its own against the Pokemon for a while. Blake hesitated to order an attack though, fearful of another trick up Gengar's sleeve. That's when he realized. The Pokemon was toying with him. His heart skipped another beat.

The Gengar seemed to have enough fun volleying Shadow Balls at Sneasel, and returned to a single form, It then landed next to the Sneasel and performed a powerful backhanded slap at Sneasel's hand, sending the Cleanse Tag she was holding flying.

"Knock Off…" Blake breathed, realizing the Pokemon had performed a sixth unique move now. The Haunter and Gastly that had been lying in wait outside the circle of protection the Cleanse Tag granted now rushed in, swirling in a ghostly malestrom towards him. Sneasel was overwhelmed by the attacks of the multitude of Pokemon and was knocked out herself, leaving Blake with no Pokemon, and no options. He felt faint.

Melissa meanwhile would not give up on her partner yet. While Blake was fighting for his life, she was busy trying to get a view on the events going on since the connection broke again. Pokemon Tower had a satellite radio service too now, which meant there was a satellite in geosynchronous orbit with Lavender Town. She'd had Porygon2 hack into it, and directed its camera over his last known location. All she could see was the dark cloud though. She was furious at herself. She shouldn't have thrown the boy into this situation. And now there was a very real chance she was going to get this guy she barely met killed. Her heart pounded. This was just like that one time…

Blake's knees shook as the Gengar approached him, landing on the ground and taking step after step. It was all over now. Gengar's smile seemed to stretch to fill his vision. Fear clouded his vision. Was this how it was going to end? Killed on his first mission?

His face hardened. No. It wasn't over yet. As the Gengar came near, he suddenly burst into a sprint, charging straight through the ghost, which phased right through him. Gastly and Haunter got in his way, but he ignored them. He had one last trick up his sleeve.

The Gengar turned around, furious, and charged up a Shadow Punch to deal to Blake, a blow that would surely break a few bones if it landed. And Shadow Punch never missed. Blake ignored the Gengar though as it moved towards him. There was something more important he was looking for.

He found it. The Cleanse Tag, lying next to his unconscious Sneasel. He picked it up and turned around, beckoning the Gengar to come at him. "I can take it!" He shouted through his fear, preparing his last stand.

The Gengar came at him. Blake took the Cleanse Tag in his hand and slammed it into the Gengar's face. While the Gengar was far faster and stronger, its arms were short, and Blake hit first. The Cleanse Tag attached to the Gengar, and suddenly shone with a bright light, streams of energy peeling off of it.

The Gengar flinched, sliding backwards in midair. The purifying energy of the Cleanse Tag was incredibly painful to it, and it struggled to get it off. The rest of the ghosts fled, scared off by the fact that their boss was in pain.

Blake knew that now was his only chance. The Cleanse Tag started to dissolve, unable to cast out such a powerful shadow. He reached for a Dusk Ball from his jacket, pulled it out, and threw it at the Gengar. There was a metallic clink as the ball clicked shut, then dropped to the ground. It shook once, and then stopped. A critical capture.

Melissa saw the bright light streaming out of the dark cloud even from space, and watched as the cloud began to fade away. "Blake?" She asked tentatively, wondering if the boy was okay. "Blake, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Blake lied, his knees still shaking. His heart was pounding like a drum, but missing an occasional beat. He dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. He was suddenly more fearful than ever. He just survived that encounter… and now he was close to death again. Slowly though, his heart calmed down, and its rhythm became more steady. He was alright.

"Good." Melissa said, sighing in relief internally. "Did you catch the Pokemon?" She asked.

There was a pause. Blake picked up the Dusk Ball and examined it for a moment. "Yes." he said flatly.

Melissa was bewildered. How on earth did that newbie pull it off? Was he really some expert ghost hunter? And was that Gengar as powerful as her data led her to believe? She wanted answers. And she couldn't get them from two continents away. She smiled to herself. It had been a while since she'd done any field work.

"Congratulations then," She said in an overly sweet voice. "You've passed my test." she commended him, as if she'd given this speech a dozen times before. "You are now officially a Pokemon Hunter in the employ of Melissa Bertile." She announced. "And I've got your next mission lined up already. There's a Mismagius in Blackthorn City in Johto that needs to be dealt with. Show the Gengar to the staff at Pokemon Tower so I can collect payment, then meet me in the Blackthorn City Pokemon Center in 36 hours." She told him.

Blake was left stunned on the other end of the line. Officially employed? A thirty-six hour time limit to get to Blackthorn? He'd have to go to Saffron City, take the Magnet Train to Goldenrod, then trek halfway across the region once over to make it to Blackthorn. Going up from New Bark Town was no option, the cliffs were too steep. He'd have to go through Ecruteak City, Mt. Mortar and the Ice Path to make it to Blackthorn. "How do you expect me to get there in that amount of time?"

"Figure it out!" She told him. She closed the line, shut her laptop, collected her scattered papers and returned her Porygon2 to its Poke Ball. She checked her phone for the next outbound flight to Goldenrod City. There was one this afternoon. She'd just have to collect her things, cash her payment for this job, and she'd fly to Blackthorn by tomorrow morning.

Blake picked himself up. Well, he'd have to get going soon. But first he needed to stop by Pokemon Center, and then Pokemon Tower. The radio station had a 24-hour broadcast, so it was still open despite the time of night.

He headed into the building, dusting himself off as he moved to the front desk. The secretary there asked him for his name.

"Blake Cain," he introduced himself. "I'm here about the bounty for the ghosts attacking the town?" He said.

"Yes. Your employer mentioned something about a vengeful spirit of the dead Pokemon of the tower?" She said, shuddering. "Scary stuff."

Blake rolled his eyes. Employer? He thought they were partners. And there was that nonsense about vengeful spirits again. "I've captured the Pokemon. You won't be bothered by the ghosts of this town anymore."

"Can you show me the Poke Ball?" She asked. Blake handed over the Dusk Ball.

The woman looked it over, and placed it on her PC. She confirmed that it had indeed been captured in Lavender Town that night, then handed the Poke Ball back to him.

"Can I see the Pokemon?" She asked nervously. Blake nodded, releasing the Gengar out.

The Gengar stretched its body out lazily, floating ominously in midair. It looked at Blake with a sneer, and opened its mouth.

"I hope you don't expect me to be your bitch, bitch." It swore.

Blake's heart skipped another beat. "It talks?" He said, astonished.

"He talks?" Gengar mimicked.

"What are you talking about?" The secretary asked him.

"Yeah, what are you talking about, kid? Pokemon don't talk," Gengar agreed.

Blake's brain was melting. "Am I the only one who can hear you?" He asked.

"Hear what?" The secretary repeated.

The Gengar cackled. "Maybe you're just crazy?" He suggested.

Blake shook it off, "Whatever. Can you forward the payment then?" He asked the secretary. "There should be two accounts. 30% to her, the rest to me."

She furrowed her brow at the computer screen. "I only see one account here…" She told him.

"What, no way!" Blake exclaimed. "She said she set me up an account for me!"

"Hah, you got played," Gengar commented.

"Would you shut up?" Blake said, exasperated.

"Excuse me?" The woman behind the counter replied.

"Not you!" Blake apologized. He reached for his Pokegear and dialed Melissa's number.

"Yes?" Melissa responded sweetly, with an hidden edge in her voice. She didn't expect to be interrupted.

"You set me up!" Blake accused her. "You told me you set up an account for me!"

He heard her sigh on the other side of the phone. "I did. You did read the contract you signed, right?" She asked him.

Blake paused. It was long, and he skimmed it. "...yes…" he said slowly.

"Then you'll remember that you waived your cut from the first job you did for me in lieu of a down payment." She reminded him sweetly.

Blake's face twisted. "You never mentioned that when we were negotiating terms!" He complained.

"So? Read what you sign more carefully." She corrected him. "Besides," She said. "A down payment is standard for these kinds of services, and you couldn't afford mine. I took the risk on this job. You're a complete novice. What if you'd failed, or gotten yourself killed? Then I'd have organized this entire mission for nothing. And I've already lined up your next job. Unless you'd like to quit," she asked him.

He was cornered. "Fine…" he said. "I'll see you in Blackthorn."

"Ciao~" She replied.

Blake put the phone away, wishing he had something to punch, returned Gengar to his Poke Ball and walked out of the Pokemon Tower.

"Sucks to be you," A voice laughed. Blake turned around and found Gengar floating behind him.

"What're you doing out of your Poke Ball?" Blake questioned him.

"What're you doing out of yours?" Gengar sneered, not explaining anything.

"Why can't anyone else hear you?" Blake asked him.

"Beats me, but it's hilarious." Gengar shrugged.

"Why can I hear you then?"

"Not because you're special or anything…" Gengar reassured him. "You're utterly ordinary. Me though? I'm one of a kind." He bragged.

"You're going in the PC Box for all eternity." Blake threatened.

"I don't think so," Gengar countered.

"Why not?"

"Because if you try it, I'll hit you with a Thunder Punch and put you into cardiac arrest. That a good enough reason?" He threatened back.

Blake shuddered. Did his Pokemon know?

"This town's gotten boring..." Gengar bemused. "So you're going to entertain me. I seem to have found myself a most curious master…" Gengar said to himself, his smile still wide. He returned himself to his Dusk Ball. Blake pulled it out and looked it over. "...asshole," he heard the Poke Ball say.

What had Blake gotten himself into?


	2. Chapter 2

_Two weeks prior…_

Blake looked over his Poke Balls on his desk: three standard model Poke Balls, and one Sport Ball from the bug-catching contest in the National Park. All the Pokemon he had collected in his three years of experience as a trainer, and it wasn't even a full team.

He picked up the ball containing the first Pokemon he received, Murkrow, and reminisced about how he and Murkrow came together. He was nine-years-old at the time. He'd been at the park with his parents in Ecruteak City, eating a picnic, when a Murkrow swooped out of the air and snatched his sandwich. It was the closest he'd ever been to a wild Pokemon before, and he was excited. The Murkrow came around for another pass. Blake's father pulled out a Poke Ball of his own, preparing to fight back the Murkrow, but Blake didn't want to hurt the Murkrow. His father relented, and gave his son a Poke Ball, telling him to catch the Pokemon instead. It took three tries, but Blake finally succeeded in catching the young Pokemon and made it his first team member.

It was almost two years later that he got his trainer's license on his eleventh birthday, and with it, the ability to carry a full team of six Pokemon, and his second team member. His father worked for Bill's PC network, and when he mentioned his son's birthday to his boss, Bill gave him a gift for his son: an Eevee. About nine months later, it evolved into an Umbreon late one night.

His third Pokemon, Sneasel, he traded for. He'd caught a Drowzee in the tall grass south of town late one night, but found the Pokemon inordinately difficult to train. When a passing trainer came through town, he offered a trade: a Pokemon egg for the Drowzee. The trainer accepted, and it was not long afterward that the egg hatched, and Sneasel was born. The Pokemon's second birthday was coming up soon now.

His final Pokemon was a recent addition: he'd taken a trip to the National Park, and entered into a bug-catching contest. There he met Scyther, his fourth Pokemon. It was young and weak, and Blake came in second to a young bug catcher who had caught a giant Caterpie. Blake never would understand why an oversized Caterpie was worth more points than a Scyther.

Now he was back at home, and making the tough decision of whether it was worth it to continue. His win-loss record against other trainers was slanted in the favor of losses, and he'd yet to earn a single gym badge.

Of course, his Pokemon journey was a little more complicated than the norm. Most kids didn't have to take sabbaticals from their journeys to spend at the hospital. Fewer kids had to spend their time under parental supervision in case they went into cardiac arrest. But he was getting stronger now. It'd been almost a year since the last time his condition put him into critical condition. His last hospital stay was months ago. He was ready for a solo journey now, but only if he could fight on his own.

And that was what he had been preparing for the past few months. He'd returned home to train. He'd been taking physical therapy again, getting stronger. And he'd been studying, learning everything he could about one subject: Ghost-type Pokemon.

And now he was going to test his progress over the past few months. His Pokemon were growing stronger. His team was specialized to defeat ghosts. And he was an expert on the subject now. Now was the time to see if he could defeat the Ecruteak Gym Leader. If he could do it, he'd start a new journey. He and his Pokemon, as hunters. If not… well, Blake didn't want to think about that possibility. He breathed deeply, put his Poke Balls in their holsters in the inside of his jacket, and headed out toward the Ecruteak City Gym. It was time to test his mettle, once and for all…

…

Melissa sat in the Blackthorn City Pokemon Center, tapping her foot impatiently. She gave the boy a clear 36-hour time limit to make it to the city. It was nearly noon now, and his time was almost up. The Pokemon they were chasing had already moved on to She sat at a table on the second floor, giving her a clear overlook of the people heading into and out of the building.

For his part, Blake didn't know who he was looking for. He'd never seen a picture of Melissa, and he wasn't sure she was even really a girl until she called him on their mission.

As he stepped into the Pokemon Center though, he got a call on his Pokegear. "Upstairs, second table on your right," came Melissa's voice before cutting off. She was kind of short with him, wasn't she?

Melissa looked Blake over. He was... scrawnier than she expected, almost sickly. Her nose crinkled. Was it really this kid who caught that amazing Gengar? She continued to analyze him. His matted raven hair contrasted sharply with his light blue eyes. She got a better look as he sat down opposite to her. He seemed a bit out of breath and tired, and dirty from traveling. It wouldn't do for her if he was exhausted that easily. She pursed her lips, then smiled at him.

Blake was surprised by his partner's appearance as well. She was... younger than he expected. Around his age even, maybe a year older. That threw him off balance. It was a girl his age who'd played him for his cut of the pay for his last job? He looked her over. A slender, feminine girl with long brown hair and green eyes that sparkled with confidence and cleverness. She was dressed in a simple, professional white blouse, like something you'd wear to an interview. Was he being interviewed? She smiled at him. Best to put his most confident foot forward.

"Good to finally meet you in person," Melissa said in a warm, sweet voice, extending her hand towards him.

"Likewise," Blake agreed, shaking her hand. _"Soft,"_ he thought.

"Now, let's get to business." Melissa said, her voice turning three degrees colder. Since you arrived in Blackthorn City, our mark has moved on to Mahogany Town." She explained, pulling out a Pokedex.

"You have a Pokedex?" Blake interrupted her, surprised. That kind of technology was usually limited to university researchers and the like, not commercially available.

"Yes. I've worked a lot of interesting jobs," Melissa dismissed him. "Anyways," she continued, setting her Pokedex to display a purple, floating Pokemon with a feminine appearance. "Do you recognize this Pokemon?"

"Mismagius." Blake said, recognizing it instantly. "The evolved form of Misdreavus native to the region. Rarely found in the wild, rarer still in Johto. Dusk Stones are found in the Sinnoh underground, but not in the Johto region. Which means this Mismagius is probably a former trainer's." He reasoned.

"That leaves two possibilities." He concluded. "Either the trainer who evolved his Misdreavus released his Pokemon, unlikely but possible..."

"Or the trainer is dead. Possibly by the hand of his own Mismagius." Melissa finished. "I was wrong about you, you do know your stuff about Ghost-type Pokemon."

"Thanks... Hey!" Blake answered.

"Which brings me to my next point…" She continued. "The Mismagius has been on the move. It was first sighted here in Blackthorn City, but it's moved on since then to Mahogany Town, and now it's on the way to the Lake of Rage. If you'd gotten here sooner, we might've already caught it."

"You gave me less than two days to cross an entire region!" Blake exclaimed.

"I got here from the Kalos Region in the same amount of time," Melissa interjected. "Anyways, that's behind us now. What's next is that you need to get to Mahogany Town, on the double." She said. "According to the bounty on this Pokemon, its been responsible for attacking trainers and releasing their Pokemon. It also has displayed significant psychic powers as well."

"That's to be expected." Blake explained. "Misdreavus and Mismagius both learn several Psychic-type moves naturally. They have a certain affinity with the typing without actually being the type, like the Charizard family and the Dragon-type."

"Anyways, you better get going," Melissa told him. "Mahogany Town is on the other side of the Ice Path, and it might still be on the move."

"Wait," Blake said, exhausted. "I can't catch up to it on foot. I barely made it here in your ridiculous time limit. Especially through treacherous terrain."

"So what do you expect to do then?" Melissa countered. "Just give up and let the bounty go loose, attacking trainers at random?" She asked. "Why don't you have a Pokemon to fly you around?"

"All I've got is a Murkrow," he said. "Not exactly a Pokemon that can carry me to another town,"

Melissa sighed. "Fine then. I'll fly you over to Mahogany Town on my Skarmory, but that's it. You've got to manage it from there." She told him.

"I thought you were supposed to be my support team." Blake said.

"And I'll support you from the Pokemon Center in Mahogany Town. Support!" Melissa cried cheerfully, pumping her arm into the air.

Blake didn't have much of a choice. "Thanks then," he said, standing up from the table. The two of them walked out to the front of the Pokemon Center.

"Alright Skarmory, time to shine!" Melissa cried out, throwing her Poke Ball down. A metallic bird with razor-sharp feathers emerged from its Poke Ball, and happily wrapped its wings around his mistress.

"No, Skarmory, we need to fly!" She told the Pokemon happily embracing her. She stroked her Pokemon's head affectionately, then boarded the Pokemon's back. "You getting on?" Melissa asked, gesturing the small spot available on the Pokemon's back behind her.

Blake swallowed. He'd never actually flown on a Pokemon before. Skarmory turned and looked at the boy with a keen look in his eyes. It was like the Pokemon smelled his fear. Blake slowly straddled the Pokemon, uncomfortably close to Melissa as he sat behind her. Just a moment before he settled in, the Armor Bird Pokemon took off, flying high into the sky. Blake felt his heart lurch into his throat as they quickly ascended over the cliffs of Blackthorn City, flying west towards Mahogany Town. The Pokemon reached a cruising altitude quickly, then dove downwards, reaching speeds of over 180 miles per hour.

"_If I lose consciousness, I'm dead…" _Blake told himself as his heart beat out of control. He grit his teeth, struggling to stay awake as the wind whipped him and his heartbeat grew erratic from fear and stress. Melissa seemed totally fine, apparently used to this.

It was only about a fifteen minute flight to Mahogany Town, even though the hike between the two towns could take a full day between the treacherous cliffs and dangerous Ice Path connecting the two cities. Blake had to admit, having a Pokemon that could fly was useful. The Pokemon soared downwards, its speed slowing, until it was just a short distance above the red roof of the Mahogany Town Pokemon Center.

Suddenly, Blake felt himself lose tangibility. It was a sickening sensation as suddenly he couldn't maintain contact with anything. He slipped straight through Skarmory's body and plummeted towards the ground, falling about three stories before regaining corporeality, hitting the grass below with a thud. Fortunately, he landed feet first, and seemed to be alright, besides the adrenaline rush shooting through him. He looked up and saw his Gengar, laughing hysterically above him at the sight.

"Oh, that was rich!" Gengar cackled with its signature grin. "I'll have to make a running gag of this; you should've seen your face!"

"What the heck!" Melissa demanded as Skarmory reached the ground, returning the Pokemon to its Poke Ball. "You could've died! What kind of person falls off a Pokemon mid-flight?" She shouted, helping him to his feet then punching him in the shoulder. "If anything had happened to you…" She started. "How would we cash in the bounty?" She asked.

"Nice to know you care…" Blake muttered, breathing deeply. His heartbeat began to normalize, but that was close.

"Whatever." Melissa brushed him off. "I'm going to go set up in the Pokemon Center. Here," she said, handing him a case from her pack. Blake opened it. It contained a top of the line model Silph Scope, complete with all the latest tracking features.

"Wow," Blake said, thankful as he booted it up. "You didn't have to do that…" He said.

"Yes I did," Melissa corrected him. "We can't work with the old equipment you had in Lavender Town." She said. "We lost connection easily, and your Silph Scope didn't have half the features we needed." She told him, slapping a brand new Holo Caster on his wrist to replace his old Pokegear. "Don't think this is a gift though, I'm deducting the cost of this equipment from this job." She clarified.

"Oh." Blake said dejectedly, putting his new Silph Scope over his eyes. He fiddled with the features a little bit, and quickly set it up to filter for Mismagius's spectral signature. A trail appeared up the way to the Lake of Rage. Blake smiled.

"Well, it's good equipment anyways. I'll make the most of it," he justified to himself, starting to follow the trail.

"Good luck!" Melissa told him sweetly before ducking into the Pokemon Center. Somehow her voice didn't sound quite as sweet as it did when they first met. Blake forced himself to focus on the task at hand instead. It was ghost hunting time.

The path to the Lake of Rage was an uphill battle, literally. The slope was steeper than Blake was used to walking, at the air was thinner than he expected. This was an endurance battle against his greatest weakness: cardio. His muscles were strong enough to carry him forward, but his heart was struggling to pump blood fast enough without threatening to give out on him. He had to take regular breaks to catch his breath. About an hour into his hike, he heard Melissa call on his Xtransceiver.

"Are you there yet?" She demanded.

"A little more than halfway," Blake gasped.

"Are you kidding me?" She said exasperatedly. "What do you think this is, a sightseeing tour?" She demanded.

Blake grimaced. He couldn't possibly tell her why he was struggling though. That'd be a quick way to end his Pokemon Hunter career.

"I'll move faster…" Blake breathed heavily, and shut off communications.

He could finally see the Lake of Rage for his own eyes not long afterwards, and the trail he was following grew very bright. Storm clouds gathered over the lake, and it began to rain. Blake was glad he was wearing a jacket, but his Silph Scope was utterly exposed to the rain. He knew he couldn't let it get wet, so he stowed it back in his pack. He'd have to track the Mismagius the old fashioned way now.

Not that it was a challenge for someone with his expertise. He considered what he knew about this Pokemon's behavior so far and the tendencies of the species. If it was trying to release trainers' Pokemon, it would make sense for it to keep moving on from town to town quickly to avoid getting captured. But why, then, would it head for the Lake of Rage instead of Ecruteak, the next town over?

"Melissa," he asked, pulling her up on his comm system. "What do you know about this Pokemon's previous victims?" He asked. "Was there anything they all had in common?"

Melissa looked over her files in the Mahogany Town Pokemon Center. "No, I already checked them. The victims are unrelated," She said. "None of them knew each other. There's no connection with the location of the attacks either. It looks completely random."

"What about their Pokemon though," he asked. "Did they have any Pokemon in common?"

"That was the second thing I checked." Melissa said defensively. "Of course not. They all had wildly different teams they were training." She explained.

Blake thought for a moment. "Did any of them have Pokemon they'd have difficulty getting to obey?" Blake asked. "Look for Pokemon that were recently traded, or higher level than their gym badges would suggest they were capable of training."

Melissa hadn't thought of that possibility. "Let me check," She said, looking through her files. "What do you know, you're right," She marveled, finding the connection. "All of them had at least one Pokemon of significantly higher level than the rest of their teams, but what do you think that has to do with-"

"I think this Mismagius relates to those Pokemon." He said. "I suspect after evolving it grew disobedient and abandoned or killed its trainer. And now it's trying to do the same for others."

And if that was the case, Blake had the perfect bait for such a Pokemon. He reached for the Poke Ball holster in his jacket and retrieved his Dusk Ball. "And if so, I think I know how to get it to come to me." He told Melissa, releasing his Gengar out.

Gengar materialized into the rain with a yawn, looking around, surprised to be released of Blake's volition rather than his own. "What's up, bitch?" He asked him snarkily.

"I just wanted to talk," Blake smiled. "You said you're special after all. Gengar are rare in the wild. And you know more moves than any Pokemon can, including moves that you can't learn naturally. I wanted to know your story," he said, honestly curious.

"My story?" Gengar scoffed, waving Blake off. "There's nothing to tell. I am what I am, and that's all there is to it."

Blake's smile dropped. That couldn't be all there was to it, was there? "You mean you don't want to tell me how such a powerful and unique Gengar came into being? Certainly there's an interesting story behind it all."

"I told you. I've got nothing to tell you." Gengar said, his grin actually falling for once.

Blake was surprised. This wasn't the reaction he was expecting. He at least expected some fake story to be spun off by Gengar, not a defensive denial. "Wait…" Blake said, piecing things together. "You don't actually know where you come from, do you?" Blake accused him.

Gengar frowned. "What did you say, punk?" He asked, raising his fist.

"I don't think you know where you came from at all." Blake continued. "It's not that you don't want to tell me, you just don't know why you are what you are at all!" He realized. "That must be why you're so aggressive… you don't remember ever even being a Gastly, or a Haunter. You just started existing one day and don't know why. It must be awful, not knowing why you even exist." Blake said, pushing Gengar's buttons now.

Gengar's eyes visibly twitched. "Why I oughta!" He started, building up electricity in his fist.

Suddenly they both heard the voice of a witch cackling from across the lake. Blake pulled out the Silph Scope briefly, shielding it from the rain to get a better look. A Mimagius was in the middle of the lake, zooming towards the bickering trainer and Pokemon with a wicked smile on her face.

"Thanks," he told Gengar. "You made excellent bait," he sneered, returning the Pokemon to its Poke Ball.

"You son of a -" was all Gengar got out before being sucked back into his spherical priosn.

Now it was time to fight. He put Melissa back in contact again. "Sorry I can't give you visual," he said. "The rain will ruin my brand new Silph Scope." he told her. "But I've made contact. The Mismagius is approaching now." He told her.

"Don't worry, I can see clearly through your Holo Caster," She told him, looking at a projected image of the lake on her screen. "Now take that Pokemon down for me, alright?" She said.

"Got it." Blake replied. The Mismagius was nearly in attack range now. He readied his Poke Balls. "It's ghost-busting time!" He shouted.

"Did you really just say that?" Melissa blurted into his ear. "Unbelieveable."

Blake ignored her. "Umbreon, Feint Attack!" he shouted. "Sneasel, Scyther, Murkrow, Pursuit!" He ordered, releasing all his Pokemon, beisdes Gengar, to battle. If the Mimagius retreated, it would be nailed by Pursuit, and if it stayed to fight, Feint Attack would surely hit it for Super Effective damage.

Gengar released himself from his Dusk Ball while the rest of his Pokemon went to clash with the Mismagius. The Mismagius stayed to fight, and Umbreon nailed it with a powerful attack from its claws. It started to back off, and then the rest of his Pokemon landed their Pursuits. It was a perfectly executed plan, except for Gengar's interjected obscenities.

"...Can't believe that you'd play me like that…" Gengar muttered to himself, watching the fight going on. "Oh, so we're in a fight now?" He asked, curious. "Don't mind me, but I'm gonna watch you get your ass kicked. And laugh."

Blake smiled. He was winning already. The Mismagius retreated over the water, out of range of his Umbreon and Sneasel, but Murkrow and Scyther could approach without issue. "Scyther, Murkrow, Pursuit again!" He ordered. But as the two Pokemon approached, he could see a glint in the Mismagius's eyes, and she dodged the two Flying-type's attacks, humming to herself.

Blake racked his brain for what she could be doing. She wasn't using Perish Song, he knew the melody to that move by heart. He thought through the abilities that Mismagius had besides attacks… telekinesis, invisibility, entrancement… it hit him.

"Scyther, Murkrow, get back!" He ordered.

It was too late. A Gyarados emerged from the water, followed by another, one striking at Scyther with a Bite attack, the other at Murkrow with an Aqua Tail, knocking out Scyther and sending Murkrow flying back towards Blake. Five more Gyarados rose out of the water, each one swaying back and forth to the melody that Mismagius was humming to herself. She controlled them all.

One Gyarados rose up and generated reddish-black energy in its mouth, charging up a Hyper Beam. A second followed suit. The others began to Dragon Dance, growing stronger as the Mismagius continued to hum her charming song.

"Oh, things just got interesting…" Gengar said, watching gleefully. "Well, it was nice to know you as long as I did, Master," Gengar cried out sarcastically. "I won't be attending your funeral."

"Gengar," Blake ordered desperately. "You can take these Gyarados out! Use Thunderbolt!"

"You've put me into a powerful position, Master," Gengar contemplated snidely, grinning wider than ever. "I don't discard power easily…"

"We can discuss terms later," Blake pleaded. "Just take these Pokemon out!"

"Alright," Gengar said, rubbing his grubby little hands together. "Seven Thunderbolts, coming right up!" He shouted. He flew up and pointed his finger at the first Gyarados, bluish-black lightning streaming off of him. Blake had never seen a Thunderbolt that looked like that before, but it was the most powerful Electric-type move he'd ever witnessed. The blast of electricity arced into the Gyarados, knocking it out instantly. A second bolt struck one right before it fired its Hyper Beam, then another and another.

The rest of the Gyarados turned tail and fled. Whatever control Mismagius had over them, it wasn't enough to get them to fight against certain defeat.

Blake breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly turned towards Gengar, wondering if the Gyarados were the lesser of two evils. "Oh god, what are you going to do to me?" He asked the Pokemon.

"Don't worry your little head about it," Gengar cooed. "When the time comes, you'll know. You'll know…"

The Mismagius didn't seem bothered by the loss of her trump card though. If anything, it seemed even more confident. "What are you planning…" Blake asked himself. The Pokemon summoned a circle of blue flames around herself, and fired them in a ring at all of Blake's Pokemon, burning them with a Will-o-Wisp. It left the water, approaching without hesitation towards Blake.

Blake grimaced. Most of the moves he had available to use were physical attacks, so the reduced attack power from the burn would severely hinder his options.

"Murkrow, Dark Pulse," He ordered, knowing that burn wouldn't affect his Pokemon's special attacks. But the attack barely seemed to phase Mismagius, who shrugged it off and fired a Shadow Ball towards Blake. Umbreon jumped to intercept it, but despite its ineffectiveness was sent sprawling by the attack, struggling back to his feet.

Blake realized what had happened now. While Gengar had handled the Gyarados, the Mismagius had been using Calm Mind. It must have sent its Special Attack and Special Defense to maximum now, and with his Pokemon burned he couldn't hurt it enough with physical attacks either. This was surely checkmate.

Or not. Blake still had a trick up his sleeve. "Murkrow, Haze!" he ordered. The Darkness Pokemon obediently flapped his wings and created a murky field of fog around the battlefield, removing any status changes from the field… including Mismagius's Calm Mind.

But the Mismagius smiled and her eyes glowed with power, and psychic energy redirected the haze around her, creating an impenetrable barrier with her Psychic attack. She then generated another ring of blue floating flames and sent them at Blake and his Pokemon. The heat was unbearable. Blake could feel his flesh searing at the heat before it dissipated, and slowly, one by one, he watched as his Pokemon dropped to the ground.

The Mismagius approached him as his knees shook, and he knew exactly what it was after: Gengar's Dusk Ball. Tentatively, Blake reached into his jacket and retrieved the Dusk Ball. He had no choice after all. And then he suddenly heard a voice.

"She burned me!" Gengar exclaimed. "That bitch burned me! I'll kill her!" He shouted, and took off towards the Magical Pokemon.

Blake could only watch as Gengar unleashed hell like he'd never seen before. Mismagius tried to Shadow Ball, but Gengar quickly dodged and delivered a Sucker Punch to the Pokemon, knocking her flying away. She followed up with a powerful Psychic attack, but Gengar ignored it, barreling through the Super Effective, stat boosted blow and delivered a Shadow Ball, hitting her as if she hadn't used Calm Mind once this fight. Ectoplasm leaked off of her body; she wouldn't last much longer. And Blake didn't intend to let this fight end with a Pokemon dying. Even one as nasty as that Mismagius.

He reached for a Love Ball he'd gotten, slightly appreciating the irony of it as Gengar tried to finish off the Mismagius, and tossed it at the Magical Pokemon. It made contact, and sucked the Pokemon into its Poke Ball. The sphere dropped to the ground, shook three times, and clicked shut. He'd caught it.

He sighed in relief. That was another close battle. His heart was pounding with excitement, adrenaline rushing through his body. He needed medical attention though, soon. And so did his Pokemon. They all had serious burns now, and Blake could barely stand. He messaged Melissa.

"I caught the Mismagius," he said softly, his voice weak.

"I saw," Melissa said, impressed by the action of the Gengar. "That Gengar of yours is quite the trump card, isn't it?" She asked, not having heard the conversations between the two. "Get back here so we can cash in our reward." She told him.

"I can't." He replied. "My Pokemon are in urgent need of care, and I'm injured too." he admitted. "I need you to extract me."

There was a lengthy pause on the call. "Alright." Melissa said nonplussed. "I'll come pick you up,"

Blake hung up the call, and turned to look at Gengar, who'd helped himself to a full heal from Blake's pack. He floated down to the ground, and walked up to Blake, smiling wider than he'd ever seen before. Suddenly, his fist turned dark with shadow, and all Blake saw was Gengar's fist, then a bright white light, then nothing.

"That was for capturing that bitch before I killed her," he heard Gengar say as everything went black.


End file.
